Attack by terrorists near Poonch’s Bhimber Gali area | Assault rifles & grenades used

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, April 20

Five soldiers were killed when an Army truck carrying soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was ambushed by terrorists near Bhimber Gali in J&K’s Poonch on Thursday afternoon. Assault rifles and grenades were used to target the vehicle, said sources.

“At 3 pm, an Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri Sector (which covers Poonch area) was fired upon by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rain and low visibility. The vehicle caught fire due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” an Army spokesperson said. Five personnel of the RR unit deployed in the area for counter-terrorist operations were charred to death.

The deceased are Havildar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh and Sepoy Sewak Singh (all from Punjab) and Lance Naik Debashish (Odisha). A seriously injured soldier was rushed to the Army Hospital, Rajouri. The firing came from the adjoining forest areas. The Army has launched search operations. Traffic remained suspended on the Bhimber Gali-Surankote road after the ambush. Commuters were told to take the Bhimber Gali-Mendhar-Jarran Wali Gali to Surankote-Poonch route or the Krishna Ghati top to Poonch route. Commuters were stopped from taking videos and clicking pictures. Lt Col Devender Anand, the Defence PRO based in Jammu, requested the media not to circulate the videos and photos of the incident.

Anguished, says rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was anguished by the tragedy. “My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he said.

TOOK ADVANTAGE OF RAIN

At 3 pm, an Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in Rajouri Sector was fired upon by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rain and low visibility. The vehicle caught fire due to likely use of grenades by terrorists.

Northern Command